Rotary transmission means



May 5, 1925.

'. 1,536,091 F. M. FURBER ROTARY TRANSMISSIOXI MEANS Filed Feb. 19, 1920 Patented May 5, 1925.

i UNITED STATES t an PATENT OFFICE.

remission M. scenes, or REVERE, vrnssnenvsnr rs, nssrenon TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, NEW JERSEY.

OI PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF I B-OTARY,TRANSMISSION MEANS.

Application filed February 19, 1920. Serial No. 359,877.

To all 10/10/12, it may concern:

lie it known that I. Fnnnnnron M. FUR- nun, a citizenof the United States, residing at Revere, 1n the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain Im proveilnents in Rotary Transmission-Means, of which. the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the Several figures. 1

This invention relates to means for transmitting rotation, and more particularly, in some'respects, to transmitting rotation to relatively high-speed shafts by which tools are carried for operating. By way of illustrating one practicable embodiment of the inventionthe latter is shown by the accompanying drawings in a form adapted for use in a machine fortrimming the edges of shoe-soles, since it overcomes certainobjectionable features that are common in such machines. It is not to be understood, howver, that the invention is limited to such machine nor to the exact construction or. ()l'fi' ganization shown, since it may well be put to other uses w1thout sacrificing its advantageous features.

1 When, as in a sole-edge-trimming machine motioncf the cutter arises from various muses in machines asheretofore constructed, among which causes are imperfectbalance of a. driving n'iember such asa pulley, eccentricity of one member relatively to another with which it should be concentric, and repeated tightening and slacl'zeuing of a driving belt as its lacing of other joint becomes seated on and unsealed from its pulleys. Accordingly an object of the presentinvention is to provide/for transmitting rotationto a tool-shaft without-also transmitting pulsations and vibration to it. it featiiu'e ofthis aspect of the invention consists in mounting a tool-shaft and a pulley therefor in substantially coaxial relation, to;

gether with improved means connecting clutch for the tool-shaft.

them to transmit rotation to theshaft and to disslpate vibratlon 111 such manner that the shaft will be immune. from pulsationsand vibrations affecting the pulley.

The machine shown is provided with a rotary tool-shaft and a pulley for transmitting rotationto it, but, instead of being arranged so that the shaft supports the pulley, they are sustained independently of each other by means constructed and arranged to prevent the transmission of pulsations and vibration.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a self-balancing and self-centering The illustrated construction provides theself-balancing and self-centering features in a cone-clutch the drlven member of wh1ch 1s always 1n balance with the tool-shaft, and the driving member of whlch 1s a floating r ng which is centered and balanced by the driven V men'iber whenever the two are operatively coupled. Thus, while the balancing of the tool-shaft and clutch prevents vibration from originating in them the floating capac ity of the driving member not only dissipates vibration of the pulley but overcomes difliculties that would otherwise arise from changes in the relationship of the shaftand pulley, due to wearing of the bearings of one or the other. 1 A further ob ect of the lnventlon IS lLU provide nnproved clutch-controlling means having features that are particularly ad-Y vantageous for use at high speeds (the clutch shown being combined with a shaft that usually runs at a speed exceeding 8,000 B. P. M.) wlthontsacrlficlng 1n any degree its utility for relatively slow speed clutchesr,

Accordingly one feature of the invention consists in clutch-controlling means coir structed. and arranged to dismnnect itself from contact with the rotating elements in consequence of coupling the clutch, thus eliminating all friction and a common cause of imperfect balance that would otherwise add to the driven load if it remained connected while the clutch was coupled. Preferably, and as shown, the controlling means is constructed to exercise its controlling functions through the agency of friction, and to apply the friction with considerable (iii retarding effect on the shaft incidentally to disconnecting the clutch. The controlling means thus establishes a braking relation as a condition necessary to establishing a clutch-controlling connection.

Another feature of the invention consists in arranging the braking elements so that they will be instantaneously disconnected one. from the other in consequence of establishing driving engagement of the driving and driven. elements of the clutch.

Other objects and features of the invention are shown by the accompanying drawings and are hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a machine having a rotary tool-shaft and driving mechanism therefor constructed and arranged in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 represents on a larger scale an end elevation of elements of the transmission means by which pulsations are dissipated and by which compensation is made for eccentricity of the shaft relatively to the rotary'driving member associated therewith;

Fig. 3 represents a vertical section on a larger scale of the driving elements appearing at" the upper right of 1; and

Fig. l represents a sectional view through the structure intersected by line l4; of If 3;

The frame of the machine is indicated at lO 'and a rotary tool-shaft is indicated at 11. In accordance with the intended purpose of themachine' shown atool 12 carried by the shaft 11 is of a form" adapted to trim the edge of a shoe-sole. The'shaft 11 as shown is journaled in bushings 1.3 and 14;, the lat tor, for reasons that will be clear, being hereinafter termed a sleeve. These bearing .members 1?; and 14: are allixed. to the frame by the clamping action of detachable caps 15, 15 bolted to the frame in the manner-customary with split journal-boxes.

The receiving pulley 16, instead of being mounted on and supported by the shaft as heretofore, is mounteddirectly on a portion of the sleeve 14- that projectsfrom the split journal-box in which the sleeve is clamped. Consequently the pulley sustained by the sleeve 14 and'the frame ll) without iimoosing any load whatsoevi-n. upon the shaft, although, as shown, the righthand portion 1? of the shaft extends through the pulley and through the sleeve, and projects beyond the right-hand end of the latter. Since the pol icy is sustained independently of the shaft the latter will not be subjected to pulsations or vibrations imparted to or arising in the pulley. Such pulsations and vibrations would, according to prior constructions, be transmitted to the tool-shaft, but since" the pulley is' in the present instance supported by sleevel-l independently of the tool-shaft they are dissipated or ab- SOlbGCl partly by the sleeve and partly by the frame of the machine without being communicated to the tool-shaft. They are further dissipated or absorbed by the two of the pulley and shaft avoids transmission of such stress and pulsations to the shaft.

The sleeve lat as shown is provided with a flange 19 at its left-hand end to confine the pulley against endwise moven'ient. When the cap 15 is loose the sleeve may be adjusted endwise so as to locate the flange 19 according to the length of the hub portion of the pulley. The pulley is provided with an annular flange 20 that forms a housing for the disconnectible clutch. This clutch, as shown, comprises cooperative conical friction elements one of which, indicated at 21, is a floating ring of suitable friction material such as compressed fiber and the other of which, indicated at 22, is a member formed on the shaft 11. The integral construction of the shaft and the member 22, while not necessary in every case, is preferable for shafts that rotate at exceedingly high speed because it avoids certain causes of inaccuracy with respect to the balancingof the shaft. In any event, the balanced rotary unit COHlPl'lSOS the shaft 11, the tool 12 and any other elements rigidly fastened to the shaft to turn with it. As shown, the driven member 22 of the clutch is a part of the balanced unit. The ring 21 is carried rotatively by the pulley but is loose relatively to the pulley in other respects, particularly with respect to rela tive movement transversely of the axis of rotation. The connecting means shown by the drawing comprises screw studs 23 a llixcd to the flange 20 and extending radially into sockets 2-:l-v framed in the ring, the diameter of the sockets being considerably greater than that ol' the stud portimis thatv occupy them. The ring is, therefore, free to move to a llll'lltdd. extent relatively to the studs in every directiijui, the connection being in effect a ru'iivcrsal joint. The ring, while constituting the driving HHHllK-l, of a friction clutch, is thus free to center itself or otherwise aceon'n'nodat'e itself to the driven clutch member 22 without being subjected to any undue stress 01' binding that would otherwise arise from inaccuracy with respect to parallelisn'i of the pulley and the shaft, or from eccentricity of the pulley and the shaft, or from inaccuracy in the ring itself.

llll! lit) llltl ill) preserve the balance of the shaft when the clutch is coupled. It is also preferably-co1ilined by a metallic ring 44; atfixed to the lefthand edge of the flange 20. The described construction is such that the driving unit,

comprising the pulley 16, the flange 20, studs 23 and ring 44, is separate and distinct from the balanced unit above described.

The clutch members are coupled anduncoupled by-relative movement of the shaft and pulley lengthwise: of the axis of rotationyprovisiou being made in the illustrated machine for lengthwise movement of the shaft, since the pulley is restrained against endwise movement. The illustrated ma chine also includesclutch controlling means the controller of which is indicated at 25. This controller is in the form of a lever and is affixed to a rockshaft 26. The rockshaft extendsthrough and bears in a bracket 27, the bearing portion of the bracket being split as indicated at 28 and being provided with a clamping bolt 29 by which it may be set up more or less tightly to maintain sufiticient friction on the rockshaftvto hold the latter in any position to which itmay be moved. A yoke arm 30 carried by the rockshaft carries a split collar 31 which acts as a shipper to couple and uncouple the clutch and also to apply a braking action to the shaft 11. The collar 31 is occupied by a bushing 32 having flanges 33 at its ends to keep it in place. This bushing is free to 1'0 tate relatively to the collar 31 and is to all intents and purposes a brake shoe. hen in operation it co-operates witha frustoconi- 'al portion 34, formed on the shaft, and in order to function with the desired effect it is internally tapered according to the conicity of the portion 34. F or a purpose hereinafter OXPlE'IlUGCl. the conicity of the elements 82 and 34 is not so steep as that of the clutch elements 21 and 22.

As shown by Fig. the collar 31 is split in a radial plane so that its two parts may be assembled between the flanges of the brake shoeyand the two halvesof the collar are provided with semi-cylindric trunnion portions 35 in "order to provide for operative connection with theyoke 30. After the two halves of the collar have been assent bled on the brake shoe they are locked against separation. by slipping metallic washersfifi on the trunnions. The asse1nblage is then mounted in the yoke 30 by lintroducing the trnnnions laterally into radially extending sockets 37 formed in the arms of theyoke, said sockets being open at their outer ends. \Vhen the brake shoe is brought into telescopic relation with the end of the shaft as shown, the latter isettective to pre vent the trunnions from being dislodged from the sockets 37, and the sockets permit the b 'ake shoe and the split collar to follow a rectilinear course with the shaft, notwithstandingthe fact that the movement of the yoke 30 is concentric to the axis of shaft 26.

In operation, assuming that the pulley 16 is rotated and that the clutch is connected as shown, the tool-shaft 11 may be brought quickly to a state of rest by depressing the controller 25. The first result of depressing the controller is to move the brake shoe 32 into braking relation to the portion Eli of the shaft. This causes the brake shoe-to grip the shaft tightly because the conicity of the contacting surfaces is very slight. The brake shoe thus becomes an additional load on the shaft not so much because of its weight as because of the retarding effect of its connection with the non-rotatablecollar 31. continued downward movement of the controller moves the tool-shaft toward the left, thus disengaging the driven clutch member 22 from the driving clutch member 21. To all intents and purposes engaging of the braking elements and the disengagv ing of the clutch elements is instantaneous although, as a matter of fact, engaging of the braking elements is necessarily a condition precedent to the uncoupling of the clutch elements. However, the second phase of the operation follows so quickly upon the establishing of the braking relation that no bad effect results from the technical overlapping of these two phases. Any desired provision may be made for limiting endwise movement of the shaft, the left-hand bushing 13 in the illustrative machine serving as a stop in conjunction with a shoulder 38 formed on the shaft. By mziintaining slight downward lpressure on the controller 25) after the endwise movement of the shaft has been arrested the braking effect of the brake elements is greatly amplified with. the result that the shaft, being new disconnected from thesource of motion, is brought quickly toa state of rest with the brake shoe still tightly wedged on the conical portion 34-. of the shaft. It is to be noted that although the coaction of the brake shoe and the portion 34: is frictional so far as their braking effect is eoncernechit is positive with. respect to disconnecting the clutching elements.

So long as the pulley 16 continues to ro tate while ilisconnected from the tootshaft its wearing elfe 1t will he sustained by the sleeve 14.- hut not by the t '1olshaft, (louse quently no matter to how great extent this wearing continues the tool-shaft will not be worn thereby and the accuracy of balance of the shaft will not be impaired. ln time the upper side of the sleeve l-l'will be worn by the pulley with the resultthat the pulley will gradually descend. relatively to the shaft. The relative shifting of the axes of the pulley and the shaft due to such wear- .ing will not have any bad effect on the shaft or on the clutch because the loose connection between the ring 21 and thepulley avoids the transmission of all. stress transversely of the axis of the shaft.

The act of moving the controller 25 upwardly couples the clutch as a: condition precedent, to uncoupling the brake elements. henthe tool shaft is mo-vingto the right it is not rotating but. is grippedv by the brake shoe 32, and it is to benoted that: in this respect the control of the clutch is exerciscchnot positively as in the first iii-- stance, but frictionally through the agencyof the frictionzbraking surface. The shaft continues to move to the right with the brake shoe until it is arrested by the coupling of the clutch members and if the latter are forced together quickly the sudden rotary motion imparted to the shaft shakes off th brake shoe because of the inertia of the latter, and a slight additional upward movement of the controller carries the brake shoe entirely out of contact with the shaft. If, on the other hand, the controller 25 is moved so as to couple the clutch members slowly the brake shoes 32'wi'll not be shaken off but will turnv with the shaft, because its relatively gradual taper affords a strong; hold. By maintaining a slight upward pressure on the controller while the shaft is accelerating, the clutch members may be held together until th speed of the shaft equals that of the pulley. Then, by imparting an additional upward movement to the controller the clutching effect may be tightened and the shoe 32 finally separated from Physical the cone portion 3 1 of the shaft. connection between the controlling means and the shaft is thus completely ruptured and all unnecessary load is thus removed from the shaft so that thelatter may be better adapted to rotate at the extremely high speed for which it is intended.

It has been stated herein that the conicity of the braking members is preferably not so steep as that of the clutch members. This is to insure coupling the clutch. incnibers with sullicient force tomaintain their coupled relation before the brake members become uncoupled. It will be understood, of course, that the. conicity of the clutch members will be determined according) to conditions so that they will maintain their driving relation. frictionally when once suchv relation has been established by the start ing movement hereinbefore described.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new ant desire to secure by Letters Patent of the Unit-ed States is:

1. The combination comprising a driving unit and a driven unit supported independently of each other in substantially coaxial relation and capable ofrelative axial movement said driven unit including a tool and speed withoutgenerating vibration, one of said units having an integral clutch element, and a clutch member loosely connected to the other one of said units to-cooperate with said integral clutch element and to be clutched and declutched by relative axial movement. of said units.

2. The combination coniprising a driving unit and a driven unit supported indepcnd ently of each other in substantially coaxial relation, said driven unit being in true balance and including a shaft, a tool and an integralclutch element, and a clutch. memberloosely connected to said driving unit to cooperate with said integral clutch element, and'means for causing relative axial movement of said units to effect clutching.

3. The combination with a receiving pulhay and a tool-shaft extending therethrough, of means arranged to sustain them inde pendently of each other, and means arranged to transmit rotation from said pulley. to-said shaft an-c dissipate vibration atfecting the pulley, said shaft being in balance to rotate without producing vibration.

4:. The combination with a longitudinally movable and rotary shaft, of a rotary transmission member in coaxial relation to the shaft, frictional transmission means arranged to transmit rotation from said ro tary member to the shaft and controllable by endiwise-movement of the latter, and controlling means constructed and arranged to act on the shaft positively so as to move the latter longitudinally in one direction and to act frictionally thereon so as to move the shaft longitudinally in the opposite direction.

5. The combination with a rotary transmission meniber and a rotary shaft arranged in coaxial relation so as to he cap able of relative axial movement, of disconnectibl-e transmission means arranged to transmit rotation from said nien'ib-er to the shaft, and controlling means constructed and arranged to act positively so as to disconnect said transmission means and to act frictionally so as to establish driving connection through, the latter.

'5. The combination with (re-operative friction clutch elements arranged to be en gagcd and; disengaged by relative movement of the driven clement lengthwise of its axis, and controlling means rielutliuggj an internally tapering member and an eaten na'lly tapering member one of \'-.'hich is rig idly related to the driven member of too clutch and the other one of which is morably mounted and arranged to act frictionally on the rigidly related one so as to engage the driven element of the clutch with the driving element thereof and to rotate therewith.

T. The combination with an interi'ial fricbein in true balance to rotate at hi h tion cone clutch. member and an external lt ll be engaged and disengaged by relative axial movement and to couple and rotate in un1- son with said clutch members.

8. The combination with friction clutch members, of controlling means therefor comprising co-operative members constructed and arranged to conple said clutch members, to rotate in unison with the latter and to free themselves one from the other in consequence of tightening the clutched relation of the clutch members.

9. The combination with disconnectible conical friction clutch members, of controlling means therefor including disconnectible friction members arranged to couple the clutch members as a condition precedent to uncoupling themselves.

10. The combination with disconnectible conical friction clutch members, of controlling means therefor including disconnecti-. blc conical friction members formed and arranged so that the frictional resistance to their separation will couple the clutch members, the conicity of the latter being steeper than that of said controlling members.

11. The combination with disconnectible conical friction clutch members, of controlling means therefor including disconnectible conical and coaxial friction members arranged to shift one of the clutch members axially, and including operating means by which one of said controlling members is carried and in which it is swiveled.

12. The combination with a rotary toolshaft having a tapering portion, of a disconnectlble clutch for driving the same and clutch-controlling means lncluding a fllC-.

. tionalbrake arranged to act on said tapermg portion of the shaft and to transmit disconnectible controlling movement to the clutch by or through the braking action on the shaft.

13. The combination with an assemblage of rotaryelements including disconnectible friction clutch men'ibers adapted to maintain their hold one upon another, of controlling means including a n'iovable member arranged and adapted to apply initially light clutching stress, to maintain such stress while the driven element of the clutch is accelerating, and thereafter by moving in one direction to apply greater clutching stress and free itself from contact with said assemblage.

14'. A machine comprising an axially movable tool-shaft having a conical portion, a shipper therefor, an internally tapered friction member carried by said shipper to act on said conical portion so as to shift said shaft positively in one direction and frictionally in the opposite direction, said internally tapered member being rotatable relatively to said shipper, and a friction clutch arranged to be coupled with and uncoupled from said shaft by the axial movement imparted to the shaft by said internally tapered member.

15. A machine comprising an axially movable tool-shaft having a conical portion, a shipper therefor, an internally tapered friction member carried by said shipper to act on said conical portion so as to shift said shaft positively in one direction and frictionallyin the opposite direction, said internally tapered member being loose relatively to said shipper so as to center itself relatively to said conical portion of the shaft, and'a friction clutch arranged to'be cou- I pled with and uncoupled from said shaft by the axial movement imparted to the shaft by said internally tapered membeiu In testimony whereof I have signed my name'to this specification.

FREDERICK M. FURTHER. 

